CRISPR, CAS9 and my grandchildren

If you haven’t heard about CRISPR and CAS9, you won’t understand why I say it seems likely that my children will be the last in my line that are “pure natural” descendants. My grandchildren will almost certainly be genetically altered in some direct way due to the explosion of genetic manipulation possibilities just beginning to open up.

Insurers have long worried about the costs and ethics of genetic testing. The time to start considering the impact of annuitant mortality is probably already in the past. The possible improvements in life expectancy are, according to some, literally unbounded. I don’t quite go that far yet, but the possibilities are provocative.

In another post, I’ll discuss my concerns around antibiotic resistance, and other risks to mortality, but for now, do yourself a favour and watch this crash course in the possibilities of cheap genetic editing.